The past week has made me question if it’s not just the financial future for the United States that is in serious question, but the very founding principles which established this republic.

The framers of the Constitution of the United States were compelled to add the first ten amendments to that document before ratification. Known as the Bill of Rights the first of these amendments (Amendment I) contains precept son which much of the expansion of this country has been based (though this is not the first time it’s principle has been tarnished).

On 17 September 1787 the current United States Constitution was adopted by the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and ratified by each US state in the name of “The People”.

The United States Constitution is the oldest written (single document) constitution still in use by any nation on our planet, and had for over two hundred years defined law in the United States.

On 25 September 1789 the following was added to the United States Constitution, and enacted in full force on 15 December 1791.

Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

The “eviction” of peaceful protestors in a number of cities across the nation was alarming in itself; but the use of pepper spray to clear out a group of peaceful protesters at the University of California Davis, in Davis, California is a travesty. This incident, caught on video and seen within 24-hours of it happening by over half a million people is truly alarming.

I do agree with University of California Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi that an independent investigation be conducted; but I believe that several investigations need to be conducted, including one by the Justice Department under the direction of the US Attorney General.

While I do not feel Linda Katehi needs to step down; I do believe both her and the commander of the police force, as well as any officer acting outside the bounds of the orders issued, need to be put on administrative leave immediately; and their actions would need to be fully investigated before allowing them to return to their positions of authority.

Points of law, and the legality of actions are determined by the judiciary; but it is the responsibility of the executive branch to insure that potential violations of law (and civil rights) are arraigned.

The Arab Spring was seen as a great movement forward to allowing people to be free(r) and allow them to have a (larger) stake in deciding their future; but now, perhaps the United States needs to request international observers to insure that our government doesn’t continue down this road to infringe on the rights that “we the people” have given so much to secure.

A friend of mine put this together; and I think it’s very good advice…

I’ll add a couple points:

Mail over 13 oz requires you drop it off in person

Mail over 5mm thick is charged a higher postage rate (regardless of weight).

I’d discourage you from spending a penny on sending anything to a bank (not just because of the cost, but because of the environmental impact to produce and distribute anything); find your non-recyclable items around your house and use those to send a message — just be careful, some items are prohibited from sending via the US Postal Service — A Customer’s Guide to Mailing.

You may want to include in your note to remove your name and address from their mailing list (they already have all that information, they got the mail to you right — so you don’t really have to worry).

Don’t do business with banks — especially “big banks”. Choose a credit union or a local bank for your needs. If you have credit card services from a “big bank” make sure they are paying you back to use their card (they still make money, but at least you get something), never pay a membership fee or yearly fee for credit cards, and never carry a balance on a credit card at a “big bank”.